Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-09-25
DAILY HERALD.
SONGS OF THE WAR.
Origin Of Popular War Melodies
~ Familiar as sold Hundred"

SONGS OF THE WAN.
Origin Of Popular War Melodies
~ Familiar as sold Hundred"
One of the most interesting articles
in the Century for August is from the
pen of Brander Matthews, who gives
the history of the most famous war
songs. OF all these songs Mr.. Mat
thews thinks but two are finer than
"Yankee Doodle" and the "Star
Spangled Banner" and these are
ssJohn Browns Body" and Marching
Through Georgia." OF the former
the genesis of both words and music
is obscure. His coniectural construc-
ton of the story of the song is briefly
thus:
In 1916 William Steffe, of Phila-
delphia. was asked by a fire company
in Charleston, South Carolina, to
write an air to certain verses, the
chorous of which began; "Say, bum
mers, will you meet us?" After the
air had served its purpose a new set
of words was fitted to it and it became
the camp-meeting hymn. Say
brothers, will you meet us?" In 1860
the same air was given to Republican
campaign songs.
When Fort Sumpter was fired on
the campaign songs, the camp-meet-
ing songs, the street songs, among
which was "Tell John Andrew John
Browns Dead" were fused las it were,
and "John Browns Body" came into
being. Mr.. Matthews says this song
was put together by quartet of men
in the Massachusetts, Tigers, and the
soldiers of the Twelfth Massachusetts
Regiment sang it as they marched
down Broadway July "a, 1861. They
sang it necessarily until 1862, and by
that time the whole nation was famil-
iar with it.
The most popular war song OF the
South was my Maryland. James
r. Randall was its author. He was
native of Baltimore, but in April,
1861, was residing in New Orleans.
From the papers of that city he read
q highly colored account of the attack
on the Massachusetts troops while
they were passing through Baltimore.
He worked himself up in fever of
and then wrote. the words. |
Afterwards the verses were set to the |
music of "Lauriger Horatius," ia
vorite college song OF jovial character. |
Dixie was another popular song. 1t |
was composed in 1859, according to
Mr.. Matthews, by Dan d. Emmett, as |
q "walk-around" for Bryant's min
strels. Emmett had travelled with |
circuses, had heard circus men speak
of the country south of Mason and
Dixon's line as Dixie, and had heard
them wish themselves there as soon
as Northern d3ys became uncomforta-
bly, cold. 81 wish l was in Dixie"
they used to say, and it was upon this
that Emmett founded his song. In
the fall of 1860 Mrs. John Wood sung |
"Dixie" in New Orleans in John
Brougham's burlesque, "Pocahontas."
Southern words to suit the tune had |
been written by Gen. Albert Pike, and |
the air was also used by Republican
singers in the North.
ssThe Bonnie Blue Flag" also came !
from the theatre. The tune is an old
Hibernian melody, according to Mr..
Matthews, "The Irish Jaunting Car"
The words were written by an Irish
Harry Mccarthy. 1.-The
Bonnie Blue Flag" became at once
popular, but was not so much sung as
was 'Dixiep OF "Lorena," the South
ern equivalent of "Just Before the Bat
tie, mother" The latter was COM
posed, words and music, by George F.
Root. of Chicago, who was the author
of "The Battle Cry of Freedom" and
of "Tramp, Tramp, Tramp, the Boys
Are Marching" All OF Mr.. Roots
songs were immensely popular with
the soldiers, but the first favorite vas
probably "The Battle Cry of Freedom
Beyond doubt the most popular
war song of the North is "Marching
Through Georgia" Probably General
Sherman has heard it million times.
He thinks he has, anyway, for the
bands play it wherever he goes-pret-
ty much as "Hail to the Chief" is
played wherever the President shows
his head. This was written by Henry
G. Worth, who was fond of rejecting
the rude negro rhythms and was ia
miliar with the songs of the cotton
field and levee. Mr.. Matthews says,
however, that Marching Through
Georgia" was not founded on a negro
air, and he regards the tune as new
and fresh and spirited, "the chief mu-
sical legacy of the war"
"We Are Coming, Father Abraham,
Three Hundred Thousand More," ap-
peared originally in the New York
Evening Post, and as the authors
name was not given the public be-
lieved for time that William Cullen
Bryant wrote it. But its author was
John S. Gibbons, Quaker, who, so
Mr.. Matthews says, had reasonable
leaning toward wrath in cases Of
emergency" The famous war song,
"When Johnny Comes Marching
Home" was written by P. S. Gilmore.
Julia Ward Howe's "Battle Hymn of
the Republic" was written, Mrs. Howe
says, in the dim twilight of the early
morning after night given to thought
of the subject, in which the lines
were gradually worked out. The title
was given to it by James 7. Fields of
the Atlantic Monthly.-[Rochester
Post -ExDress